Sunday, March 29, 2009

Saturday, March 21, 2009

Today we went on an exquisite fieldtrip! We were able to go through the new, unfinished Oquirrah Mt. Temple with Ammon's uncle Eric Jensen. He is the husband of Elisabether (mom's sister). He has been doing some special painting in the temple. He does special painting with stenciling and gold leafing on the ceilings and some panels in the temple. His work is really magnificent (Ammon used that word himself). We were all so impressed and so pleased to have this wonderful opportunity. Here is Eric with Ammon just before we started the tour.

Eric, Ammon, Jim and Kaitlin. We would have liked to take everybody with us, but Eric had to kind of sneak us in with the help of one of the superindendents of the job who ran the elevator for us.

Angel Moroni

The front east side of the temple.

Looking at the temple from the south entrance.

There was such beauty in the building. Marble walls surrounded the baptismal font. The chandeliers were really big and beautiful. The windows were unbelieveably beautiful . There are murals on the walls in two rooms and when we went into one of them, the sun was streaming into the room. Ammon gasped and said, "Am I in Heaven of what?!" We all felt like that.

Thank you, Eric for taking us through. It was a beautiful day for all of us.

Wednesday, March 18, 2009

My Dad told me to copy the talk I gave onto the blog. So I have pasted It below

Be of Good CheerWhen Alma and his people lived in the land of Helam, the Lamanites surrounded them and persecuted them. Amulon, the wicked leader of the Lamanites caused Alma’s people to give half their food and goods to the Lamanites. It was a great burden to the people. They prayed to Heavenly Father asking for help.In Mosiah 24:15 it says, “…Yea the Lord did strengthen them that they could bear up their burdens with ease, and they did submit cheerfully and with patience to all the will of the Lord.”Heavenly Father wants us to feel joy and be cheerful, even if we experience trials.In Doctrine & Covenants 61:36 the Lord said, “And now verily I say unto you, and what I say unto one I say unto all, be of good cheer, little children; for I am in your midst, and I have not forsaken you.” He also said in Doctrine & Covenants 68:6 “Wherefore, be of good cheer, and do not fear, for I the Lord am with you and will stand by you. . . .”In both of these verses, Heavenly Father tells us that He is by our side and we should be not afraid.The day I was supposed to get my tracheostomy last December, I was very sick and sad because I couldn’t breathe very well, but I was afraid to have any more tubes down my throat. The doctor told me I would feel better after the surgery and would be able to breathe better. I was still afraid but I made the decision to have the surgery.When they came to take me down to the operating room, I stopped them and said, “Wait! We have to have a prayer first!” They backed away for a few minutes. I asked my Mom to say the prayer and she did. Then I said, “Ok, let’s do it.”As soon as the surgery was over and I woke up, I felt so much better and could breathe so much easier that I felt very happy inside. I asked for a board to write on and the very first thing I wrote was, “Heavenly Father answered my prayers.”Knowing He was by my side gave me peace to do what I needed to do.In Proverbs 17:22 it says “A merry heart doeth good like a medicine: but a broken spirit drieth the bones.” Maybe my cheerful heart has helped me get better--it’s been good medicine!There are some things we can do to have a cheerful heart.We can pray and remember that Jesus is by our side.We can serve and help make others cheerful because a smile and kind word is contagious.We can be grateful. If we can remember the things we have and express our gratitude, it makes us realize that we are blessed and loved. That always makes us cheerful.I would like to end by telling you what I’m grateful for.I’m grateful that Heavenly Father has been by my side my whole life.I’m grateful for my family and how much they love and help me.I am grateful for two aides at school that help me learn and be successful.I’m grateful that I have been able to have nurses help take care of me at home and at school.I’m grateful for friends. It cheers me up when kids want to spend time with me.I’m grateful for my priesthood leaders, quorum members, and Sunday School teachers. It really cheered me up when they came to the hospital a few times last summer. I loved their visits!I’m grateful I can pass the sacrament every Sunday. I like to serve however I can.I’m grateful I can belong to this church. I always feel cheerful when I’m here.My mom said I was born with a cheerful heart. I’m very grateful for that. I’ve learned that I can choose to be happy or sad. I choose to be happy because I know Jesus is with me. In Doctrine andCovenants 68:6 it says, “Wherefore be of good cheer, and do not fear, for I the Lord am with you and will stand by you, . . . . ” Knowing that, why would any of us not be cheerful?In the name of Jesus Christ, amen.

Thursday, March 5, 2009

Here is Ammon with Todd Killian, the nurse that takes care of Ammon at night. Todd's wife is a teacher at Mt. Loafer and Ammon knew who she was. We owe a lot to Todd because he was the one that caught the cellulitis and told us to get Ammon to the hospital. (I would have waited to see the doctor on Monday rather than going to the ER on a Saturday night.) These two guys get along pretty well. Todd threatens to give Ammon a cold shower and Ammon threatens to get him back some way.It has been wonderful to have Todd here because on the nights he is here, I use ear plugs and go to sleep. I can't hear Dad snore and I can't hear the alarms go off. We actually get some good sleep.Anyway, here's Todd. On Saturday Ammon gets to go to the Draper Temple openhouse. We are so excited to go. Kaitlin, Ammon, Dad and Mom will all be going. Our friends, Craig & Sharon Gailey are going through with us. They work as ushers and guides there. Their new house is about four blocks from the temple. After the tour, we will go to their house for dinner. Gillian has already been through and loved it. We can't wait!!

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About ME!

My name is Ammon and I am 15 years old. I was born October 5, 1995 with Spina Bifida. I have had 34 surgeries in my life, but am still going strong! I love to sing, dance, play on the computer, listen to music, watch movies, and hold little babies. I want to be a movie director when I grow up. I hope you will all come back often and read about me and my fun life.